By Sara Thompson
Image credit is NASA / Jet Propulsion Lab-Caltech / SETI Institute.
Special to The Enterprise
The celestial bodies in our solar system take many forms. Some are made of rock, others gas, and others even ice. The farther away from the Sun something is, the colder is gets and this has allowed several moons and even some of the more distant planets to freeze.
There are several icy moons in our solar system, including Neptune’s moon Triton, Saturn’s moons Enceladus and Titan, and Jupiter’s moons Ganymede, Callisto, and Europa. Europa has the interest of scientists because they believe it only has a frozen outer crust, with a liquid ocean underneath. Evidence of water plumes erupting through its thin atmosphere supports this. NASA has used orbiters to take pictures and take scans of the moon but is looking into ways to get a closer look at the surface and below. They want to not only see if there is liquid water, but if there is any evidence of life as microbes may be thriving in the waters below the icy crust of the moon.
Scientists are still thinking of ways to continue to explore Europa and other icy moons. Spark curiosity with a simple and fun experiment at home. All you will need is a balloon, water, small objects like ribbon, beads, sequins, etc., and some tools for exploration.
First, put your small objects into the balloon. It can be easier to blow the balloon up a little with air to stretch it out first, a funnel can also help to keep the balloon opening wide. After your objects are in the balloon, fill it up with water. It does not need to be full to bursting, just large enough to cause the objects to float and move. Tie off the balloon and place in a freezer safe bowl or dish and place in the freezer for several hours or overnight.
Once the water in the balloon has frozen, take it out of the freezer and gently cut away the balloon and you are left with a frozen icy ball with hidden object inside. Gather your little scientists and give them some tools to identify the objects within. It can be anything, but some suggestions are a flashlight, cheese grater or micro plane, toothpicks or wooden skewers, screws, straws, etc. With all experiments, it is recommended to have adult supervision as the icy “moons” could topple off tables or some tools can poke if not used carefully.
Explorit's coming events:
• Explorit is open Fridays from 1-4pm and Saturday and Sundays from 10am-2pm. The current exhibit is “Blast Off! A Journey Through Our Solar System”. Admission is $5 per person, free for Explorit Members and those aged 2 and under.
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Celebrate your birthday at Explorit! Offered Saturdays and Sundays between 2-4pm, this two hour program includes themed group activities and crafts, a decorated party room, and exclusive access to Explorit’s Exploration Gallery. Themes include Amazing Animals, Dynamic Dinosaurs, and Blast Off! Space. Call 530-756-0191 to reserve. More information found at https://www.explorit.org/birthday-parties.
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